French political firebrand Marion Maréchal has called on the various factions of the right-wing to unite to defeat the forces of the left and the neo-liberal establishment in Paris.
Maréchal, the leader of the Identity-Liberties group in the European Parliament and heir to the Le Pen French political dynasty, has a long history of dramatic fallouts with fellow populists, including her aunt, Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally.
However, in the wake of the collapse of the third government in under a year on Monday and the likely prospect of fresh legislative elections, the sovereigntist MEP urged for unity on the right, pointing to the coalition model displayed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which has successfully governed Italy for three years with a partnership between the centre and populist right-wing.
In comments reported by Le Figaro, Maréchal urged for a “broad as possible” coalition and called on Interior Minister Retailleau, the leader of the centre-right Les Républicains (LR), to “listen to his voters and build this coalition” with the National Rally (RN) to beat the left.
“No political party can win alone. Otherwise, we run the risk of there not being an absolute majority,” she said.
Maréchal’s call was echoed by Éric Ciotti, the leader of the Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR), who was sensationally removed as head of the Républicains after attempting to form an electoral alliance with Le Pen in last year’s snap legislative elections.
Writing on X, Ciotti said that France is facing a “national abyss” and that there was only “one responsible party: Emmanuel Macron.”
“A massive wave is rising in the country for the union of the right and patriots,” he continued. “I call on the LR to return home and join the UDR to build the alternative with the RN! History is watching us.”
While Retailleau has attempted to recast himself as an immigration hardliner, likely to position himself as a potential alternative to Le Pen or her deputy Jordan Bardella in the scheduled 2027 presidential race to replace Macron, he has been an opponent of forging a broader right-wing alliance.
Amid Ciotti’s effort to see the Républicains and National Rally join forces before last year’s legislative elections, then-Senate Républicains leader Retailleau accused Ciotti of disloyalty, while firmly stating that the party would “never form an alliance with the RN, we have deep ideological differences and we have to maintain our independence and integrity.”
However, with Retailleau also ruling out any situation in which his centre-right party would support a left-wing prime minister and the Macronist neo-liberal establishment in the process of falling apart, it remains to be seen what options are left open to the Républicains.
Whether the National Rally, which hopes to achieve an outright majority in the event Macron dissolves the parliament and launches fresh elections, would partner with Retailleau is also another matter.
The now-former Interior Minister attempted to distance himself and his party from the political chaos that led to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigning on Monday, hours after announcing his cabinet on Sunday evening.
Critics were quick to note that Retailleau had backed the formation of the government and that his threats to withdraw support ultimately led to the collapse of the shortest-tenured government in modern French history, which, despite supposedly being founded to solve France’s debt crisis, ministers of the 14-hour government will be entitled to up to 30,000 euros ($35,000) in severance pay. Lecornu, for his efforts, will be afforded a decade of chauffeurs and secretaries paid for by the taxpayer as a former Prime Minister, albeit a very short-lived one.
Retailleau claimed that he was misled by Lecornu about the composition of the government, notably stating that he was not informed about the return of former Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire to the cabinet.
This did not convince National Rally president Jordan Bardella, who wrote: “A few hours after agreeing to participate in the government, years after having been, in all circumstances, the crutch of Macronism, the Républicains are now attempting to disguise themselves as the opposition.
“No one should be fooled: their only disagreements concern backroom negotiations to secure this or that ministry. None of the parties in the ruling coalition can claim to embody a serious break with a policy rejected by the French.”
Follow Kurt Zindulka on X: Follow @KurtZindulka or e-mail to: [email protected]
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